Page 39 of Heated Rivals
He moved before she could, straddling her hips, easily holding her in place when she tried to sit up. James started those maddening circles on her shoulders. “Be good and relax, and I’ll take care of you, lovely. That’s a goddamn promise.”
She didn’twantto relax. She wanted his hands and mouth on her, his cock filling her until she was lost in a sea of sensation that—damn him—only he seemed able to give her. Carrigan had had good sex before. She’d even had great sex. But what she shared with James was on a completely different level. He didn’t let her run things—even when she was on top, there was no doubt thathewas in control. And hell if that didn’t turn her on more than she could have thought possible.
She wasn’t winning this—not with a head-on confrontation. So she lay back and stretched her arms over her head, the move designed to draw his eyes to her breasts. “Fine. I’m relaxed.”
“Hardly.” He palmed her breasts, his rough hands heaven against her skin. “Tell me about this tattoo.”
“I think it’s self-explanatory.”
He traced the words as he read aloud. “I became insane, with long periods of horrible sanity.” They were just words but she felt stripped bare beneath his gaze. He frowned. “I’ve heard that quote before.”
“Poe.”
“Ah, yeah. I remember now.” His thumb moved over the words again, his frown deepening. “Explain.”
“You’re seriously bossy.”
“You like it.” He cupped her breasts again, kneading gently. “And you’re stalling. I’m surprised. You don’t strike me as a Poe fan.”
She closed her eyes because it was easier to focus on what he was doing to her body, completely at odds with how closely he watched her face. What was this man doing to her? She licked her lips. “I was an angsty teenager. Poe spoke to me—this quote most of all.” It was the bare-bones explanation, but she didn’t want to get into how her life was so often jumping the tracks and running out of her control. The feeling only got worse the older she got, when she realized that her father didn’t care if she had a brain in her head as long as she did what she was told and didn’t talk back. There was no room in their world for a woman with ambitions of her own, even if they would have benefited her family. The so-called insanity was her only escape—her dancing and drinking and men—but the real world was always waiting when she came home.
“I get it. But we’ll talk about it again later. Right now I have other priorities.” He rolled her nipples between his fingers, and she nearly shot off the bed. James shifted down and took one into his mouth while his hand kept up the assault on her other breast, the twin sensations of his tongue and fingers making her cry out. Each pull of his mouth sent a bolt of desire straight to her core, but it was never enough to take her into oblivion.
“James.”
“I’ve got what you need, lovely.” He moved down her body, kissing his way over her ribs and down the center of her stomach as he settled between her legs. “I’vebeen thinking about tasting you since that first night.” His lips moved over the lace of her panties. “It’s fuckingconsumedme.”
Carrigan didn’t so much as breathe as he pulled the fabric to the side. His breath ghosted over her and then—oh God—his tongue was there, tasting her. Her entire body quivered with the need to move, to arch up, to dosomethingto keep the delicious feeling going, but she forced herself to hold still. If she tried to take charge, he might stop, and that wasn’t an option.
“Lift your hips.” When she obeyed, he dragged her panties off and tossed them to the side. “Better.” And then he kissed her there, his mouth moving over her like he couldn’t get enough. He growled, the sound vibrating through her as he lashed her clit with his tongue.
All promises she made not to move went up in smoke. Carrigan dug her hands into his long hair, needing him to never stop. She ground against his mouth, driven by the sounds he made and the need spiraling through her. “James, I’m close.” If he pulled away now, she might actually kill him.
But he didn’t. He shifted, pushing two fingers into her, touching her just the way she liked it, his tongue never moving from her clit. Her back bowed and her vision shorted out as she screamed her orgasm. He worked her until she yanked on his hair. “Too much.”
His laugh was music to her ears. “Recover fast, lovely. We’re just getting started.” But he moved away from her clit and kissed her thighs and then up over her hip bones, and then higher yet to her breasts. It was soft and almost worshipful, and it was all she could do to cling to him while she relearnedhow to breathe.
* * *
James stretched out next to Carrigan, part of him still marveling that she was here, with him—looking athimto fulfill the need in every line of her body. It was a need he was only too happy to take care of. Fuck, he’d take care of her every need if she’d just let him.
Not the time for thinking that kind of shit.
He kissed her, savoring the way she arched up to close the distance between them. “Tell me how you want it, lovely.”
“Is this like the phone sex, where you take over almost immediately?” She smiled, not looking the least bit worried if that’s what he had planned. And, hell, that’s pretty much what he’d been thinking.
Which made it that much more important that he let her take the reins.
He traced a single finger down her sternum. “Tonight, you’re in charge.”
“Famous last words.”
“I mean it.” The interest in her eyes caught him, even though she tried to shield it. He’d bet Carrigan didn’t get the chance to lead things all that often. She might have with the men she’d been with in the past, but he wasn’t those men. Heknewher. So he could give her this gift. It might be the only one she’d allow from him. “Tell me what you want, and it’s yours.”
“Anything?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Anything.” It wasn’t a gift if there were stipulations.
